Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-08
nai 19&g ae1e
A PISTOL FACTORY.
GATLiNGs, SHOT GUNS, ENGINES
AND TYPE SETTING MACHINES.

A Rife On the Pump" Principle-Nev
Feed for the Calling Gun-A Big Sho
Gun-The Thorne Typesetter's Peculiar
titles.
In the spring of 1861 the writer was an en-
ploye at Colts shop, and having leisure
hour the other day visited the shop Through
the kindness of an old friend he was given
permission to inspect the factory and note
the changes and improvements that twenty.
five years have wrought. In 1861 pistols and
rifles were made Now, in connection with
the improved rifles and pistols, are manufact-
ured the famous Calling guns, shot guns,
Baxter and Disc engines, Thorne's type set
ting and distributing machine, Waterhouse
electric dynamos and lights, screws, etc.
The Colts self cooking double action pis-
tolls are too well known to need any desciip-
ton, and perhaps the same may be said OF
the new lightning magazine rifle, which
works on the pump principle similar to the
Spencer gun. and which are called in sports.
mans parlance, stomach pumps" Fifteen
shells can be placed in the magazine and fired
very rapidly, while the perfect mechanism Of
the rifle prevents clogging and insures per-
feet safety. The reputation of the Colt s
shot gun is too well established to need any
recommendation The new hammerleSS
double barreled gun is now in geat demand,
especially among sportsmen who enior trap
shooting, and the best scores made at these
matches are won with the Colt gun. While
we point with pride to our superiority over
other countries in our mechanical and manu-
featuring establishments, it is somewhat
humiliating to be told that the barrels for all
these guns are imported in a rough state, and
that none of them are made in this country.
These barrels come singly, and the soldering
and fitting up is done here, so that all guns
are ranged to shoot alike.
THE ''CHOKE BORE"
A great Improvement over the old fash
toned shot gUn-and especially is this so for
clay pigeon shooting-is the choke bore. This
consists in boring the barrel SO that il is
much smaller at the muzzle, and the shot
do not scatter, as in the straight bore. Many
of these guns are made to order and chOked
to suit the fancy of the purchaser From
800 to 400 is the usual number selected
Perhaps an explanation would make this
more ineligible to the majority of your
readers, and mcarA sim?.y that the gun as
tested at the armory viii ar distance of
Dances No shot send 300 shot within the
radius Of a thirty inch circle
One of these guns was recently ordered, to
weigh twelve pounds, and it viii stand a
charge of five drains of powder and two
ounces of shot a miniature cannon, which
ought to give the owner q decided advantage
in trap shooting over one with a light gun.
using only the regulation charge of three
t1gr.. ,s,yl,t ~,
ounces of shot.
The Gatllng run Is constantly being I'M
proved, and through the kindness of one Of
the firm we were shown the latest improve
ments. Some sizes of the guns have two
feeds, and are so constructed that one hun
dred shots can be fired in two and ono half
seconds. One can scarcely believe this unless
he has seen it, as it seems impossible that the
cartridges can be placed in the gun fired
and extracted so rapidly. \ new feed Las
been invented, by which the loading canister
can be dispensed with and the cartridges slid
from the box into two slots. which hold
them by the rim till they fall into the grips,
which carry them into the chamber.
THoRNE TYPEsETTER.
The Thorne typesetter is to one interested
in new machinery the most attractive and
peculiar machine now made in the shop
And by the courtesy of Mr.. Joseph Tho1ne.
the inventor, we were shown is entire
peculiar workings. This machine has been
recently described, but many improvements
have been added, and the working of the
machine is now said to be q,.ite perfect The
size of the cylinder has been increased and
eighty-two letters, figures and characters
used by the printer can be placed III one
machine The inventor claims that "i:th
two men and boy to feed in the TIVE the
work equals that accomplished by six men in
the old way; or that by this machine 200
ems can be set up in eight minutes.
All the type used in Gen. Logan's book
was set up with one of these maclli- -
They cost -, coo, the indcxing and fitting in
of the guides for the nicled combination on
the typ, requiring large amount of skilled
and exact labor. cooperate the machine re
quiIes only the same skill and practice needed
to successfully run a typewriter. Cor
Hartford Times.